North Queensland Cowboys hooker Reece Robson

 

 

 

 

 

The North Queensland Cowboys heaped further misery on the winless Gold Coast Titans this season. 

They racked up a 36-6 score line in a dominant performance at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

In a game that largely mirrored last night’s clash at Suncorp Stadium, both teams kept it close throughout the first half.

Eventually, it was the Cowboys’ class that shone in the second as they ran away with the win.

Titans fans were left fearing the worst after the Cowboys burst out of the gates to hold 81% of the possession over the first ten minutes.

This led to Ben Hampton crossing for his third try of the season.

Despite a lack of ball, the Titans were able to fight back with Brian Kelly leaving Kyle Feldt for dead after a savage piece of footwork.

The Cowboys then regained the lead through Justin O’Neill in the 22nd minute following a length of the field run from Kyle Feldt.

A Dale Copley line break led to the sin-binning of Mitchell Dunn in the 26th minute, but the Titans couldn’t convert.

Rather, the Cowboys took the two following an errant Ash Taylor dropout to take a 14-6 lead into the break.

After the intermission, the Titans found themselves in a vicious cycle whereby poor discipline led to greater fatigue, creating space for Reece Robson to cause havoc.

In one five-minute stretch, the Cowboys’ reserve hooker was able to break the Titans’ line twice.

He crossed for two tries that ultimately put the game out of reach for Justin Holbrook’s men.

Jason Taumalolo was particularly damaging in the latter stages of the second half, finishing with his trademark 294 running metres, including 126 post-contact metres.

Val Holmes put the icing on the cake for the Cowboys, sending Ben Hampton and Kyle Feldt away for late four-pointers to seal the deal.

The Cowboys finished with a whopping 66% possession for the game, forcing the Titans to make 185 more tackles throughout the eighty minutes.

Speaking after the game Cowboys coach Paul Green conceded that his side’s attack was ‘clunky’ at times,

Though he was happy to see them create enough opportunities to win the match.

“Having such a big break, you’re not sure how the players are going to get back into the groove, so to win like that was pleasing”, Green said.

On the other hand, Justin Holbrook refused to admit that the same-day travel had affected his side.

Instead, he blamed a general lack of match awareness for the minimal possession they received.

“(The travel) played no part. There was nothing wrong with our preparation, we have just got to play smarter”, Holbrook stated.

The Cowboys will advance to take on the Sharks next week, while the Titans will host Michael Maguire’s Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium.

NRL News Player of the Game

3 Points – Reece Robson – Came onto the field late in the first half and broke the game open in the second period, adding some much needed spark to cross for two tries and seal the game for his club.

2 Points – Valentine Holmes – Was tough to split Holmes and Robson, but the former NFL convert was clinical in his third game back, chiming in with three try assists and a near perfect 5/6 off the boot.

1 Point – Jason Taumalolo – Was quiet in the first half, but absolutely dominated a fatigued Titans pack in his second stint to seal the game. Made a break straight through the middle to set up Robson’s second try.

North Queensland Cowboys hulking forward Jason Taumalolo

 

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